Ashes to Ashes
by SeekerFreefall
Summary: What ever happened to Megabyte after being sucked into the Web at the end of season 3? Viral-centric, gore and torture warnings! Note: originally written 10 years ago, before Season 4
1. Chapter 1

Please note that this story was written ages ago – just as season three had finished, actually. I guess you can consider this an AU, since it deviates wildly from what actually happens in season 4. So, without further ado, here is my first ReBoot story from a Viral viewpoint... Ashes to Ashes.

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Ashes to Ashes

Megabyte swatted at the flying tentacles of the Webcreature with his good arm, cursing the Guardian and that Matrix boy with every breath. Grabbing one of the whipping tentacles, Megabyte squeezed it as tightly as he could until, with a loud screech, the webcreature flicked the virus away and fled.

Megabyte found himself drifting... or flying... or whatever it was that passed as travel here. He could see nothing solid around him, so recounted his wounds. His leg was out of its socket, his arm was broken, the claws on one hand were broken, and an open gash in his abdomen sent waves of pain through his body.

His wounds distracted him so much he didn't think to look behind him. He didn't think he was going very fast until he slammed into a rock. Reeling from the pain of impact, he looked down and saw his chest armor had been split down the middle.

Gasping for breath in the thin atmosphere, Megabyte felt his heart begin to race, and the thought that he was actually going to die slammed home in his mind.

"Noo... I will.. **not**.. give up... so easily.."

Prying open the damaged panel on his arm, Megabyte managed to tap out a command and put in the codes for his self-destruct. Taking the power that started to build, he shunted it to his other systems as fast as he could. Hopefully he could use up all the energy from his emergency storage before it overloaded his circuits. It was a desperate race - even though the power took longer to build because of damage, Megabyte _was_ hurt, and so was slower as well.

So intent on his immediate concerns, Megabyte didn't notice the power fluctuations around him until it was too late. Knocked head over heels by the outermost edges of the data storm that was forming, he lost his grip on his control panel and felt his energy levels rise higher. Spinning faster and faster, Megabyte was once again slammed into something harder then his battered body could stand, and he fell into unconciousness.

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Daemon tapped an electric blue nail on the desk as she regarded the infected Guardian in front of her.

"You _failed_ me."

"My leige... I.. I thought you would-"

"You **FAILED** me!"

"I.. failed..."

"Say it.. or is it not true? Did I **NOT** send you on a mission to the web to find and retrieve a web spore? Do I have it here now? Did you bring it to me?" The powerful supervirus stood and stepped up to the Guardian. "Kneel!"

The Guardian knelt and bowed his head, shaking in fear. He knew what was going to happen.. but he had no choice. She spoke, and she was his life. A steel hand descended on the back on his neck, siezing him in a fierce grip.

"You _failed_ me. You know the penalty for that.. but first - tell me what you DID bring me." Removing her hand for the moment, Daemon slid back into her seat and regarded her slave. The Guardians tended not to degrade like binomes, and they still retained minds after infection, unlike other sprites she had infected. Daemon suspected it was because her infection was so strong it ripped their minds apart, but still had no proof this was so.

Raising one elegant blue eyebrow, Daemon motioned for the Guardian to begin his report. Opening a VidWindow for her to view, the shaky sprite cleared his throat.

"He smashed into the side of my transport, my liege. He was badly damaged at the time, and got worse on the way back. I placed him in a stasis lock, of course, and headed back to-"

"WITHOUT my webspore? You left without even looking?" Daemon slammed a fist down on the VidWindow, shattering it. Outraged, she lept over the desk and kicked the Guardian in the throat. Clutching at his neck and gasping for air, he managed to cough out a few more words.

"But.. my leige.. a vir.. virus able to.. withst- stand the web? Surely.." The sprite choked as Daemon pressed the edge of her foot down on his windpipe.

"Did I tell you to think? DID I??" Snarling, Daemon pressed down harder until she heard a muffled _crunch_ and the sprite went into convulsions. Watching as the twitching body finally stopped moving and faded into nothingness, Daemon sighed.

"I really shouldn't have done that.. now I'm going to have to find another pilot for the Web. Hmm.. well, at least I have this virus mister-i-can-think brought me... might as well take a close up look."

Daemon strode off, leaving behind only a few drops of energy from the deleted Guardian to show that a life had been lost.

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Pain. Pain was all encompassing, it filled his lungs and burst free in a scream raw with his agony. It shone from his eyes, burning and exploding from his head in a bright red flash that lit up the room. He was bound, held down by some kind of unseen force, tied to large table with grooves cut in the surface.

Megabyte realized they were energy channels.. and that would make this some kind of torture device? Or interrogation chamber? All around him was darkness, he could see no walls in this room, but it must be rather large, as his incredibly embarrassing scream of pain had echoed quite a bit.

A distant clang caught his attenion - somewhere, metal had slammed into metal - a door? The echoes pounded into his brain and made his eyes lose focus. The clanging seemed to repeat endlessly in his mind, then Megabyte realized that it was no longer resounding, but sounded uncannily like the rhythmic clicking of steps on a bare floor.

Blinking ferociously in an effort to clear his eyes, he realized the clicking had stopped... but he could sense a presence very near him - but where? He couldn't move his head, so he did the only thing he could do - grit his teeth and wait.

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Well.. this was a surprise.. maybe she shouldn't have killed that Guardian after all. On the table before her was the remains of a very large virus, and one that had no doubt been very powerful for its class. Running her eyes over the energy-slicked body, she noted the shattered claws and torn armor, and also made note of the very interesting patterns on the powerful legs and arms.

This virus was in its prime.. and a very attractive prime it was, too.

Daemon blinked and stopped short. Where had _that_ thought come from? Yes, the form was rather pleasing to the eye.. or at least it would be, once he was cleaned up and rebuilt.. Daemon grinned and quirked an eyebrow as her mind conjured up images of this virus working by her side, even as she wondered at her assumption that he would live.

Then again, she hadn't gotten to where she was today by ignoring her instincts... she would have him rebuilt, and then she would do with him as she pleased. Smiling rather wickedly, Daemon stepped forward into the wounded viral's view.

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Megabyte blinked, then raised his head off the table a few inches and blinked again. Was this some kind of pain-induced vision? A hallucination? A dream? Standing at the end of the table was the most beautiful image he had ever seen - a female virus, slim and petite, dark red skin with electric blue nails and eyebrows, topped off with a shining gold headpiece.

That had to be what made him blink again - the headpiece could pass for hair on a sprite, it was so cunningly shaped. Her body armor was also chased in gold and black, small lines that made her look as if she were wearing a sprite jumpsuit - camoflauge?

And her eyes! The large pupils were yellow.. a mervellous glowing yellow that seemed to pulse on the blackness of her eyes. The pierced him with their sharpness and Megabyte felt himself entranced by their vividness. His neck beginning to wobble slightly, Megabyte lay his head back down on the table and wondered who this woman was. She slowly walked around him, examining him closely, and he clenched his teeth as he could do nothing to stop her from doing anything she wanted. He felt more helpless then he ever had before, and even worse.. to be seen like this before a woman! A very attractive woman, who seemed to be the one in control of his life right now.

"My liege?" Both viruses turned their heads at the sound of the voice, and Megabyte widened his eyes as a Guardian stepped into view. He expected some kind of fight.. then the words the sprite had spoken registered. 'Liege'?

"My liege - the scans are complete. The virus will not survive another ten nanos without full life support or reconstruction." Glancing back at the woman, he noticed a yellow gleam in her eyes that was echoed in the eyes and on the icon of the Guardian.

A virus that had managed to infect a Guardian? Megabyte looked back at the woman in barely hidden awe. Viruses had been trying to infect Guardians ever since he could remember! And this fragile looking creature had actually done it? She must be very powerful.. more powerful then he could have ever hoped to be. Maybe.. maybe she would allow him to work by her side? Surely he could do _something_ for her...?

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Daemon nodded to her slave and turned her gaze back to the virus on the table. He was weak and dying, but he still had life in him - the way he was looking at her and at the Guardian meant he knew what she could do. Now it was just a matter of finding out if he wished to join her, and how he meaned to be useful to her.

"Ready the reconstruction chamber... but do not start warming things up quite yet. If things do not work out here, I may simply need the equipment for spare parts." Swallowing hard, the Guardian saluted and marched off. Turning back to the table again, she stared at her captive, pinning him with her gaze.

"So.. tell me, what do you call yourself, and why should I let you live?" His eyes were slitted against her, most likely in pain, but also to hide whatever he could of himself from her. His red eyes burned from their dark green settings, reminding her of flames against a darkened sky.

"My name.. is Megabyte." Hmm.. such a voice! Feeling her smile spread a bit wider, Daemon ran a finger down his chest, tracing the split in his armor, running from the base of his neck to a rather jagged tear in his abdomen. His slight hiss brought a smile to her lips, and she leaned against the table and and gazed into his eyes, only a handspan away.

"Oh? Well then, my dear Megabyte.. why should I let you live? Shall I call for my slaves to carry you to my reconstrucion chamber to be reborn, or simply for component harvesting? Hmm? Is there something you alone can do for me? Some reason why I should let you live?"

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Damn her.. she was playing with him! He knew he didn't have much time left.. the sprite had said so. The Guardian.. if he was to die, he wanted to at least know _how_ she had done -that- before he dissolved into nothingness.

"How did you do it?" He flicked his eyes in the direction the Guardian had gone. "Infecting that Guardian.. how did you do it?"

He was surprised as she stared at him for a heartbeat, then threw her head back and laughed. User, if he thought her voice had been melodious, her laugh was yet wonderful, even though the echoes did make him lose focus on his eyes for a moment.

"That one Guardian? Is that all you think I have managed? Oh, no, my dear, dear Megabyte... I have infected the entire Guardian Collective. Every one of them bows to my command, to my slightest whim. I rule the Net from this, the SuperComputer." She waved a hand in the air, "This is all mine.. every Net connected system is under my rule. So now, tell me.. why should I let you live?"

Megabyte was astonished. She had infected the Guardians? The entire Net? Everything? She was.. User, she was even more glorious then he had originally thought! So much power... then a single thought entered his mind, and he began to laugh.

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Daemon blinked as the wounded Megabyte's laughter echoed and filled the chamber. He was laughing? At _her_?? Daemon's eyes blazed up, her claws slid out and she raised a hand to strike when he simply stopped. He smiled at her, looking so triumphant she caught her breath. What in the Net did he have to be so joyous about?

"Well? Your reason?" Daemon snapped, and instantly regretted it as his merrily burning eyes chilled and withdrew slightly. "Well? I am waiting.. and I do not like to wait."

"Ahhhh.. my lady, might I know your name, before I impart to you some very vital information?" He was smiling again, and looking rather smug. Too smug for one whose remaining life was measured in nanos.

"Daemon. Supervirus, Ruler of the Known Net. You may address me as 'my liege'." One side of his mouth quirked up as he looked at her, then shook his head slightly.

"I will not call another 'liege', and I bow to no one! Now, do you wish to know my gem of knowledge, or shall it die with me? You, of course, will soon fall after I do, so I have no worries. I win either way."

Narrowing her eyes, she extended a claw and pressed it into the open wound in the center of his chest. She smiled at his gasp of pain, and grinned as he snarled at his weakness.

"I think you forget your place, Megabyte. Tell me."

"At least let me up before I do. It is not as if I could harm you, and this is a most undignified position." She stifled a burst of laughter at his audacity. He was about to be deleted, and he was worried about the way he looked? Because he had amused her twice so far, she decided to allow him his small freedom, and let him regain his composure. At her signal, the restraints retracted, leaving him unhindered.

Raising one elegant eyebrow, she smiled at him and waited for his information.


	2. Chapter 2

Oh, and I don't own canon characters, MFE does, yadda yadda yadda.

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Ashes to Ashes

Chapter 2

'Finally! That was so uncomfortable.. at least now I can lie here for a moment... before getting up.' Taking a deep breath, he shoved himself upright, and, swinging his legs over the side, he stood. And looked down. And had to stop himself from laughing.

The slim and beautiful Daemon stood only chest high to him! She was tiny.. yet had the powerful presence of a virus fifty times her size. Leaning against the table for support, he nodded his thanks.

"Now.. for your information.." She nodded and blinked lazily, as if to remind him that his life was running out. "You said that every Guardian bows to your will?" Again the lazy blink and nod. Oh, he was going to enjoy this... "You're wrong."

She came to attention instantly, eyes slitted and claws out, and the ferocity that blazed forth from her made him take a step back involuntarily. Her voice was sweet poison that made his shoulders twitch at the single word, "Explain."

Trying to regain his composure once again, he cleared his throat and tried to hide his intensifying pain. "Well, you see... I come from a system by the name of 'Mainframe'. Ah.. I see you've heard of it?"

Daemon had blinked in shock, and now leaned back against the table. "Tell me more..."

"Yes, well, Mainframe was also home to a certain Guardian.. one named Bob. I had sent him to the Web to die a while back, then turned my attention to the young cadet he had apparently recruited. My current appearance is due to their.. recent return from the Web..." Megabyte let his voice trail off as Daemon nodded.

"That is reason enough. We will talk more later, when you are somewhat.. recovered." She waved a hand, bringing up a VidWindow at the same time a group of Guardians marched in through the door. She spoke to someone on the other end of the window, "Set up the reconstruction chamber.. I have someone in need of it. He will need to be patched up - temporarily, at least. More modifications will depend on what happens next."

Megabyte watched the infected sprites warily as they surrounded him, then turned back to Daemon as she cleared her throat.

"Go with them, Megabyte.. I will take care of _everything_. **Trust** me..." The last that the badly damaged virus saw of her was that wicked smile.. just before the first filelocker froze him in place.

********

Daemon smiled and hummed to herself as she watched her slaves drag the filelocked Megabyte away. She'd have to ponder his new look.. as badly damaged as he was, he would need a complete makeover. One that would match her own might be best.. the two of them seemed to understand each other perfectly.

Of course, she would also need to have some way of controlling him, just in case he decided to turn against her. But if he had been in Mainframe, then he might have come into contact with the first webspore she had sent to that system. If he -had-, then it might explain how he had been able to survive the Web.

Pondering that bit of information, Daemon wandered down a hallway to one of the many rooms in the center of the Guardian Citadel. Locating the one she sought, Daemon stood and watched as Megabyte was lowered into an energy bath, then unlocked from his temporary prison.

Watching his fall and resulting splash into the energy brought a smile to her lips, then strode into the room. Seeing the sprites and binomes jump at her sudden appearance, she watched them carefully, ready to pounce on anyone who made the slightest mistake in her presence.

She walked over to the energy bath and looked in to see Megabyte held down to the bottom of the tank by strong steel bands. He was struggling against them feebly, and Daemon shook her head.

"You have to breathe in the energy - you may drown, but it's not as if I'm not going to bring you right back. Don't worry about it my dear, you'll do fine." She patted the top of the tank, then watched as Megabyte gave in and inhaled the specially-charged energy. He choked and twisted as the now-sealed tank was swung up into a vertical position.

She watched as his battered body twitched and finally came to rest, then began to float in the reinforced transparent tube as a new wash of energy was forced into it. Pressing a button on one of the panels before her, she brought up a full scan of his system and the damage that had been done to it.

'Oooh.. this is interesting.. he had a self-destruct? And it's been drained? Now how did he manage that? Hmm.. this panel on his arm.. it used to connect to some sort of restraining collar.. maybe he did the same sort of thing that I'm going to. But I will at least place it inside his body.. which means that I'll have to install that bit of hardware inside myself as well.'

Daemon grinned and called up schematics for the exact model she wanted. Without even turning, she called one of the sprites over and demanded a unit brought to her immediately.

Under her orders, the tube started to return to its former position, and finally opened up, revealing the motionless Megabyte. Daemon blinked and looked down at him, and was struck by the line of his jaw. He seemed so innocent lying there like that... innocent, and entirely helpless.

A panting Guardian ran up with the control unit and its reciever and placed them in her hand. Placing them both on the panel beside her, Daemon turned her attention to Megabyte's cracked chest armor.

Digging her nails into the crack, she gently worked the slabs of armor apart until she could fit both hands into the crevace. Then, taking a deep breath, she tensed.. and heaved open Megabyte's chest with a resounding ***CRACK***.

Ignoring the horrified reactions of her slaves, Daemon picked up the control's reciever and placed it into Megabyte's pulsing core. She then pressed the armor together again, and tapped another command into the panels. The tube sealed and returned to its upright position.

Daemon turned around to view the room at large, her arms drenched in energy. As she strode past her shivering workers, one engineering sprite couldn't suppress a shudder as Daemon walked past, and so became Daemon's next victim.

********

Relaxing back in her office, Daemon sketched out her design for Megabyte's new look. The deep blue would clash with her bright blue markings, so that had to go, of course.. hmm.. maybe.. black? Black would look good.. but with just the bright blue it would look too stark.. it needed something to spruce it up a bit.

Daemon paused for a moment, letting her eyes roam around the room. A flash of gold from her headdress caught her eye, and she smiled. Gold? Black, blue and - gold? No.. using gold would put him on a rank with her, but.. silver? Oh yes... Silver she could see. Black, silver and blue.. the combination would be simply delightful.

Grinning widely, she tapped in the specifications and added the colors, then sat back and admired Megabyte's new form.

A sudden beeping made her sit up as new readings ran across the screen, and Daemon stared in shock. Megabyte's code was breaking apart? How? Why? There was no reason for it to do so..

The she saw a single line of code that wasn't unravelling. It looked different from the rest of him, it looked.. familiar, somehow. Quickly cross-referencing it against other code patterns she had, she waited for something to come up. Tapping her nails on the polished surface of the desk, Daemon wondered why she had reacted so strongly. It wasn't as if she knew this virus very well... but she had the oddest feeling about him..

The beep from the console startled her so much she scratched deep furrows in the desk with her claws. Blinking and wondering again at her reaction, she looked at the display screen and frowned.

"WEB code? What in the Net is _Web_ code doing in him?" Running another scan over Megabyte, she noted the tiny remains of web code that was embedded in his own, and ran it against her records. Since he had mentioned that he came from Mainframe, if the web creature had attacked him, the traces would match... and it did.

So.. since the parts of his body that had been affected by the Web was withstanding this - unravelling of his code, the smartest thing to do would be to get more Web code and splice it in to stop the destruction. The only drawback to this plan was that she didn't _have_ a web spore. Well.. she'd just have to get one then...

Opening up a half dozen VidWindows, she called a group of pilots together and gave them a simple task - enter the Web, locate a WebSpore and retrieve it for her, as soon as possible. As for their motivation.. she played for them a tape of the death throes of the pilot who had failed her. Smiling sweetly at their terrified faces, she cut the channel and began to wait...

********

Megabyte had no idea where he was, if this was a dream or a nightmare, real or imagined. The last thing he remembered was seeing Daemon's face above him telling him not to worry, to breath the energy into his lungs. Then when he did, the searing pain, the pressure inside him, and still, her serene smiling face... then nothing. He had felt like he was floating for a while, then drifted until his feet touched the ground.

Opening his eyes, he found himself looking at.. nothing. There was nothing around him, just a rather blank greyness. No floor, but he was most certainly standing on something. no walls, no ceiling... nothing at all. Then he noticed something else.. he wasn't hurting anymore.

He looked down to see his armor, whole, complete, without a blemish or mark, without even that damnable dent that Matrix boy had put in him. He snarled viciously at the memory of that humiliating episode. Who could have known the boy would grow up like that? Bah.. at least he could hope they'd died in the system crash.

Remembering the shock he'd felt when Enzo Matrix had punched him, he felt the region where he'd been dented. Yes it was whole.. but what was this? A glowing line was tracing itself down his armour, and it itched. In fact, it hurt.. no.. it more then hurt, it-

Megabyte screamed as his chest was ripped open, spilling forth a bright light into the greyness. It shone on a small glowing orb that moved towards him, and no matter how he tried to move, Megabyte could not escape the orb. It came closer and eventually entered his chest, which then sealed up behind it, leaving no mark.

Gasping at the sensation of pain, it took Megabyte a few heartbeats to realize that there was a new sensation... something inside him was moving. It had to be the orb, but what was it doing? Spreading into his arms and legs, through his chest and into his head, Megabyte had no way of stopping the spread of the unknown object.

He felt it spread all through his body, then, in one terrifying moment, take control. He tried to scream as control of his body was taken from him, but couldn't even make a sound. Was this what infection was like?

For a length of time that felt endless, Magabyte was a passenger in his own body, then, with no warning, the hold on him retreated, giving him back control. Shuddering, Magabyte flexed his arms and shook himself sharply, trying to get rid of the feeling that he had been invaded. It didn't work - the feeling was still there.

Looking around at the emptyness, Megabyte was suddenly flooded with a desire to make those in Mainframe feel as helpless as he had. He could feel that they had survived, and knew that Bob would do anything to protect the system, and had probably managed to pull some kind of last-minute rabbit out of a hat. Bob.. and now Enzo Matrix as well.

As he pictured Matrix in his mind, he was amazed to see a ghostly image appear in front of him, as large as the sprite himself. Concentrating a bit harder, the image of the adult Enzo Matrix solidified to the point where Megabyte was able to walk around him.

"Interesting.. I can see that this place has certain.. advantages. I wonder though.." Megabyte reached out and touched the image's shoulder, and was less surprised when his hand touched solid flesh. "Hmm..." Raising an eyebrow, he concentrated a bit more, and the pseudo-Enzo turned his head and snarled at him. Megabyte grinned wolfishly, and unsheathed his claws. This would be rather.. enjoyable.

********

Daemon smiled contentedly as her Web pilots reported in, or as in one case, had their demise reported for them. She now had two webspores on their way in, and was quite pleased with herself. First, she would rebuild Megabyte and find out the rest of his information; second, she would rename him, and reasess his classification; third, she would decide if he would become one of her underlings, or if she would need to wipe his mind.

Now, all she needed to start the code splicing was for one of her pilots to get back, and everything could begin.

********

Megabyte threw back his head and laughed. Energy dripped off his razor-sharp claws as the shredded body of Enzo Matrix shimmered and faded as the sprite was deleted. That had been the fourth time he'd done that, and he had already destroyed Bob three times as well.

It had been rather satisfying, but still.. empty. He knew they were still out there, and he yearned to return to Mainframe and delete them for real. Banishing the pseudo-energy with a thought, Megabyte stared out into the greyness again.

What to do, now that the novelty of killing Matrix and Bob had worn off? Hmm.. maybe he should spare a nano or two to think about his captor, Daemon. Megabyte grinned and pictured her tiny form in front of him. The area around him began to change into the room he had been in before, when Deamon had put him into that energy tube. Megabyte let it change, and simply looked at her.

Now.. if he were in her place, he might keep her as an underling, simply for her looks. That she was also rather dangerous and powerful as well as being beautiful was more then attractive.. it was.. exhilerating. Letting his eyes roam over her form, he noted her vivid body markings, the way just the tips of her talons showed over her fingers, the fizzling spark of her eyes.. and felt something inside him.. change.

He no longer wanted to displace her, but rather, work _with_ her. Megabyte knew he could help her in her ruling of the Net.. for all her power, she was still rather young. His experience working in tandem with her control could raise the entire Net into a new age of viral freedom!

Plus.. there would be the added bonus of being with her all the time. Megabyte always took pride in the way he looked, and knew he was quite attractive for a virus. He placed one hand on the front of the tube (when did he get in a tube?) and chuckled.

"Oh, my dear Daemon... what the two of us could do together... and just think of what we could do for the Net."

Daemon raised an eyebrow and smiled in spite of herself. "What **we** could do? You're assuming a bit too much Megabyte.. when did I ever say that I'd let you live after you'd given me your information?"

Megabyte froze in shock and stared at Daemon, horrified.

"You.. you can hear me?!?"

Daemon grinned at the look on his face, and motioned one of her slaves forward. The Guardian carried a small containment unit with a struggling webspore inside. Megabye stared at it with growing dread, then glanced back at Daemon.

"What.. what are you doing, Daemon! You never mentioned this before!" Megabyte pressed outwards on the sides of the tube he was trapped in, but the walls never shivered, not even when he struck out harder. Hissing at the pain radiating through his hands, Megabyte looked down, and hissed in shock.

His hands were starting to decay, the surface of his skin cracking and flaking, disintegrating even as he watched. Panicky and half disgusted, he met Daemon's eyes as she nodded and motioned towards the webspore.

"Your code is coming unravelled for some reason. The only thing that has been able to stop it has been the slight traces a past webspore left on your code. So.. my solution has been simple. Splice your remaining code with that of another webspore." The Guardian locked the containment unit onto the base of Megabyte's prison, then stepped back.

"It's the only way, Megabyte, the only way that I could find. Don't worry.. you should come out of this all right - if you come out of it at all. Now, before I release the webspore into the tube, is there anything you want to tell me? Hopefully you'll let me know what it is I want before you disintegrate."


	3. Chapter 3

Please note that this story was written ages ago – just as season three had finished, actually. I guess you can consider this an AU, since it deviates wildly from what actually happens in season 4. So, without further ado, here is my first ReBoot story from a Viral viewpoint... Ashes to Ashes.

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Ashes to Ashes

Part 3

Even in the midst of his pain and horror, Megabyte felt a gleam of admiration. Not even at the height of his reign had he managed to arrange such a 'do or die' situation for one of his victims, yet here this tiny slip of a woman was forcing a decision from him. He made up his mind in a flash.

"The last Guardians are Bob and Cadet Enzo Matrix. They live in the system of Mainframe, if it still exists. I have the feeling that it does, since Bob almost always manages to drag some last-nano plan out of his back pocket. They have with them a Hacker and a Game Sprite, and the support of the entire system. Their is sister to the Cadet and.. rather _close_ to the Guardian. They no doubt know of you, and are most likely going to come after you."

Megabyte paused as Daemon nodded slightly, then went on when she waved a hand. "If you can manage to draw them into the SuperComputer, you could then attack Mainframe and hold the system hostage, or, barring that, at least hold the hostage. I know the system very well, and could advise you on it, but one thing I do know.. the Guardian would do almost _anything_ for Dot Matrix's sake."

"Even sacrifice himself? Or perhaps.. if we offered to trade, then laid an ambush..." Daemon paused thoughtfully for a nano, and Megabyte felt a thrill as he heard her say 'we'. She was going to keep him alive! In a dim corner of his mind, Megabyte wondered at the glee he felt at proof of his continuing enslavement, then dismissed it as unimportant.

"Thank you Megabyte.. I do hope that the next time we meet, you'll be feeling much better. I know that you'll certainly feel better then you will in just a moment. Then again, from my observations, _anything_ is better then code-merging with a webspore. Ta!"

Megabyte stared at Daemon then shoved himself as far away from the front of the tube and the webspore as he could, but Daemon simply grinned and pushed the release. Bubbles rushed up from the bottom as the webspore slipped into the tube, and the last thing Megabyte saw was the reaching black tentacles as they slipped around his throat, covered his eyes, and burst into his mind..

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Daemon sat in her office once again, resting her feet on the scarred desk, reading over the file on Megabyte. She'd pulled all information on him from the Guardian Database and had been looking it over for a few nanos when her console beeped again. Annoyed, she swung her feet down and answered it to find herself looking at one of the techs in the reconstruction chamber. Over the sprite's shoulder she could see the tube where Megabyte should be, but instead saw what appeared to be a tube of solid black.

"What is the meaning of this? What have you done with my virus?!" The sprite flinched and shook, but managed to stammer out his message.

"My lady, we called as soon as we noticed.. the virus and the webspore had been fighting in the reconstruction tube, then, just after the webspore entered his body, the energy went black. We haven't been able to tell what's happening inside yet, but-"

"You idiot! I've been up here for at least ten nanos! And you mean to tell me that this _just_ happened **now**? There's no way Megabyte could have held out against a webspore for that long, not in his condition!" The sprite shivered at the tone of her voice, but nodded.

"My liege, none of us believed it either, not after the spore attached itself to his head at first, but he kept fighting it. Only now did anything out of the ordinary happen, and our first thought was to inform you." The sprite looked pathetically eager to please, so Daemon decided to let him live.

"I'll be right down - have a report ready for me." The panicked look on the sprite's face made Daemon smile, and she deliberately made her way to the chamber as fast as possible. Arriving on the threshold, she stopped for a moment to gaze at the now-black tube before stalking into the room. She said nothing, but almost immediately the head tech was at her side and handing her a message pad with every bit of information they had, detailing everything that had happened since Megabyte had first entered the room.

Casting a glance over the displays, Daemon peered at the tube and frowned.

"Get me a strong light.. the strongest you can find in the next nano, and bring it here." She tapped the tank with one finger and was rewarded with a swirl as something inside the blackened energy moved. "Quickly!"

As her sprites scurried around the room, Daemon studied the last few readings on Megabyte that had come through clearly. Apparently the spore's presence was interfering with the readings.. but there _was_ a way of getting a feel for what was happening to Megabyte, if she really wanted to know.

The controller she had implanted in his core. Through that, she should be able to find out what was happening. Should - that was the key word. She _could_ try and find out through the controller, or she could just wait for the light to be brought. The arrival of two out-of-breath sprites carrying portable light sources made up her mind for her.

"Shine them on the tube, and make sure they're on the highest setting possible. I HAVE to find out what's going on in there." Obeying her orders, the sprites turned on their lights.. and the whole room froze in shock. Daemon blinked, astonished, then grinned.

"Well.. I never expected THIS to happen.. but it's not a bad thing, after all. In fact.. it could be quite - interesting..." Daemon grinned again, then studied the dimly-lit form with more care.

Drifting in the darkened liquid, Megabyte's form had changed visibly - the most noticable change was the addition of a tail.. a long whip-like tail that coiled around his body and loosed, then coiled again. In the dimness, Daemon could just barely make out the silhouettes of his hands and feet, now repaired and renewed, being more clawed then before. They too were slowly curling and relaxing, over and over to a steady but slow beat. Daemon realized that it was in tune to the thrum of energy that sped through his body, pulsing thought the energy of the tube.

"How long before he's due to come out?" she demanded of the head tech. The man stepped back nervously, then checked his console.

"Uh, another twenty nanos, my liege."

"Bring him out now!"

"But- but- my liege! If the process is interrupted so soon, we don't know what will hap-"

***THWACK*** Daemon spun around and sent the head tech flying into the wall, where he promptly deleted. Daemon snarled, then looked around at her frightened workers.

"Now.. who is the next highest technician?" Another sprite stepped forward tentatively, and Daemon looked at her. "Bring him out.. _NOW_!"

The new head tech complied, starting the process that would remove Megabyte from the tank. As the tube slowly swung down, Daemon pondered what the new changed would mean for his placement in her hierarchy. After all, if he had come through the code-splicing more powerful then before, she might have to delete him rather then chance him developing into a threat.

If, however, he had been weakened, she might do well to kill him anyway. There was no room for the weak under her rule. She drummed her nails impatiently on the tube as the final stages commenced - then jumped back when two large clawed fists smashed through the near-indestructible casing right where she had been tapping.

The rest of the tube shattered in a burst of dark energy that splashed anyone within a few dozen feet. As Daemon ducked a large shard of the casing, she saw a sinuous and sleek form climb out of the remains of the broken tube, and gasped.

Standing tall and proud, the virus she had last seen as a broken, battered wreck was fully transformed, and Daemon wondered if he had looked this magnificent even in his previous prime. For this virus was obviously in his prime, and looked likely to stay that way for some time yet. The arrogance in his gaze confirmed that he had recovered fully, and might even be as powerful as Daemon herself now.

Black as obsidian, his armored body gleamed with silver and electric blue highlights, the two colors outlining the new symbol on his chest - a symbol that matched the one on Daemon's armor. He clenched his fists and looked down to inspect them, and Daemon saw that his hands had regrown and looked more.. organic, almost like a sprite's. The razor sharp spines that slid from the fingertips belonged to no sprite, however.

He turned around to inspect his tail and Daemon grinned as she noticed the bony spines that ran in a double line down from the top of his head and down his back. The tail itself reminded her of the images she had seen of creatures called 'dragons' in children's storybooks, and the clawed feet and the new muscles on his legs also supported that image.

As he turned back to face her, Daemon also noted that his three-pointed crown had altered, and the three points now merged into a single red-spined crest that made his back look even more deadly then his front. His eyes had remained unchanged, and as they bored into hers, she smiled... and reached out to him through her controller.

He gasped and staggered as she thrust pain into his mind, trying to beat down his will with her own... then stopped as he smiled at her.. and went down to one knee willingly.

"Not at your demand, my liege, but with my permission," and with those words, he opened his mind to her as well. Daemon blinked in amazement again as she wandered through his mind and found no plots or thoughts against her, but rather the opposite.

Retreating from him mentally, she found herself grinning at the thought of a partnership with this new virus.. this new WebVirus, who was not net fully a match for herself, but who could be trained and eventually become worthy of more then simply being her close companion.

He rose from the floor and stepped closer, towering over her and putting her in his shadow. Daemon's eyes sparked and she stabbed into his mind again until he stepped back.

'Hmm.. he'll need to be taught who is the master here.. and fast.' Daemon thought for a nano then crooked one finger at him, turned and walked away.

"Follow me."

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Megabyte growled under his breath and followed Daemon as she walked out of the reconstruction chamber and headed down a brightly lit corridor. He shielded his eyes for a nano until they adjusted, then continued after Daemon. Cursors, but this would take some getting used to... he was now in an almost permanent lean forward, his legs having thickened and grown, his tail now swishing along just a few micros above the floor.

His tail.. now _that_ would take some getting used to, indeed. Megabyte glanced down at his hands again, still not used to the way they felt. He no longer gleamed his normal deep blue, but rather a brilliant black with iridescent highlights, and it was not metal, but some kind of thick hide.

Then there was his feet.. the claws on them clicked on the smooth floor with every step, a constant reminder that he was no longer in control of his life. He wondered if Daemon was going to try and infect him or if she was simply toying with him. If she'd only do _something_... all this walking around behind her was making him feel like some exotic pet.

He looked up and nearly ran into Daemon's back as he discovered that she had stopped. The look she gave him made him drop his eyes in embarrassment and shame that he hadn't been paying better attention. He noticed that they had stopped in front of a set of double doors, and watched as Daemon threw both doors wide. Darkness swallowed the light from the hallway a bare inch from the threshold. She nodded towards the inky blackness.

"Inside. Now."

Well, she certainly wasn't one for long speeches now, was she? As Megabyte stepped up towards the dark entrance of the room, he stopped. There was something.. different about this room. It smelled.. familiar. A hand on the small of his back propelled him into the room, and Megabyte shivered involuntarily as a memory of that particular smell came back to him. He grinned.

Energy. Specifically, spilled energy. The smell filled the room; undetectable by normal sprites, the overpowering scent nearly off-lined his fine-tuned viral senses. Megabyte blinked, attuning his eyes to the gloom, and spotted a single figure.. a sprite. The figure was attached to the wall with manacles, and the smell of fresh-spilled energy as well as old was strongest there. Megabyte stepped forward into a pool of light, one of many that dotted the enormous room, and took a better look at the sprite.

Held up by strong steel bands around his wrists, waist, neck and ankles, the sprite was suspended about two feet off the ground. a small floating platform was in front of him, probably in the spot Daemon usually stood. On a small tray nearby were a few sharp instruments that Megabyte could identify as being implements of torture.

The light-grey sprite raised his eyelids and peered wearily at Megabyte, revealing eyes flecked with Daemon's infection. Noticing the Guardian icon on the sprites chest, Megabyte frowned.

"Daemon? Why torture one of your slaves? If he's committed a crime, why not simply kill him?"

Daemon stepped forward, noiselessly moving across the smooth floor. Her mouth twisted in a snarl as she stared at the imprisoned Guardian, then turned back to Megabyte with a false smile.

"My dear, this is no ordinary Guardian, and therefore, no ordinary prisoner; I won't kill him until he's bowed his head to my will." Megabyte glanced at her in surprise.

"But.. you've infected him!"

"Yes, but he's strong.. He's fought me ever since I first attacked - he was very nearly the first Guardian I infected, so that should tell you how strong he is." Daemon waved a hand at the battered sprite's uniform. "As you can see from the remnants of his clothing, he was no ordinary Guardian to start with, but I never thought he could hold out this long." Daemon raised an eyebrow at the sprite and *_tsk_*ed gently. "Waiting for a rescue that will never come... how.. pathetic."

Megabyte tilted his head, and looked closer at the sprite as Daemon continued.

"My dear Megabyte, be known to the Prime Guardian, Turbo."


	4. Chapter 4

Please note that this story was written ages ago – just as season three had finished, actually. I guess you can consider this an AU, since it deviates wildly from what actually happens in season 4. So, without further ado, here is my first ReBoot story from a Viral viewpoint... Ashes to Ashes.

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Ashes to Ashes

Part 4

"A Prime Guardian? You keep a Prime here for your own amusement? Hmm.. I like the way you think, Daemon." Megabyte looked the battered sprite up and down, noting the healing wounds and scars with a disdainful eye. "But really.. is this the best that you could do?" He turned to her and raised an eyebrow, giving her an arch look.

Daemon blinked and frowned. "I learned from the best teachers I could find at the time... I suppose you have a different way of doing things?"

Megabyte lifted Turbo's chin higher with one clawed finger, smiling slightly as the Guardian stared at him and curled his lip in a silent snarl.

"Oh, I have a few things to teach you I suppose.. physical torture I didn't spend too much time on, I preferred the mental kind.. I find it's much more satisfying to make slaves bend their knee to you by messing with their minds rather then their bodies." He paused a moment and glanced at Daemon's blank face again, suddenly sensing he had made a mistake.

"Of course, not that I had much time or chance to actually do that in my system.. that Guardian and the Principle Office forces saw to that. I'm sure you've been doing fine on your own. Would you mind if I suggested a new method, if this one hasn't been working?"

Daemon seemed to thaw a bit at that, and nodded slowly.

"For some reason I haven't been able to break him.. he has no family ties that I have been able to discover, so I can't bring them in for leverage, and he seems not to care about how much pain he goes through. If you _do_ have a suggestion, I would be glad to hear it."

Megabyte grinned and looked down on Daemon for a moment, considering what he was about to tell her, then nodded slightly. If she couldn't stomach his suggestion, then she was not suited as ruler of the Net.

"Well, I do have a rather.. tasty suggestion, that is, if you can handle it. Not all viruses find it enjoyable, but I certainly did when I had the chance and the resources to dabble in it. You don't need much, a few implements like the ones you have, and a few cups."

"Cups?" Daemon blinked and looked at him, puzzled. "What in the Net would we need cups for?"

"The cups are for his energy, of course." Turbo's eyes snapped open again as he stared at Megabyte in horror. The viruses noticed the sprite's reaction. Megabyte smiled slightly and raised an eyebrow at Daemon, watching while she grinned ever wider at Turbo's paling face.

Daemon turned, opened a VidWindow and issued an order to an infected Guardian for two cups to be brought to her. While they waited, Megabyte explained more about what he would show her.

"You see, it took some time, but it was discovered that the more pain a sprite is in, and the more intense the pain, the sweeter the energy is if it's drawn off at _just _the right moment. It's an art, really. Too soon and you don't get the full effect of the sprite's agony, too late and you end up with simply the dregs of the pain."

Megabyte made a show of examining his claws carefully, as if they were suddenly very interesting, but watched Turbo's face out of the corner of one eye. The sprite had gone a pale grey and looked as if he would be ill, and stared at Megabyte and Daemon in a sort of sick horror.

The door creaked open and a guardian arrived with two ornate crystal goblets on a platter which he set on the floating platform. Bowing, he gave one last look of disgust to his Prime before turning and walking away. Daemon selected a razor edged knife from the tray and raised it to Turbo's shoulder, only to bare her teeth in a snarl as Megabyte seized her hand.

Without even turning, Daemon reversed her grip on the knife and stabbed back, burying it hilt-deep into his thick forearm. Hissing in pain, Megabyte reacted without thinking as well, and raised his other hand to strike..

PAIN!!! It shrilled along every nerve, filled his chest and burst from his throat in an ear-shattering roar as Megabyte dropped to his knees and vented his agony aloud. The dark chamber swallowed the sound even as it did the light, and there were no echoes. Megabyte's breath hissed between his teeth as he yanked the knife out of his arm and looked up at Daemon.

Daemon looked down at him, her eyes cold and remote, her face a mask of disdain at his outburst. Her lip curled in a slight sneer as she placed one hand on her hip and inspected the nails on the other. "Anytime you're ready, Megabyte."

Ashamed at being brought down in such a manner in front of a slave, Megabyte swallowed his shame and stood, wiping the trickling energy from his arm and sealing the outer edge of the cut. Cleaning the blade on a scrap of Turbo's uniform, Megabyte presented the hilt of the blade to Daemon.

"My lady..." he murmured, forcing himself to bow slightly as he handed her the razor sharp knife. "I didn't mean to stop you, simply to.. correct your technique." He kept his eyes cast down until she retrieved the blade. She placed it on the metal tray again and he allowed his eyes to flick up to her face, and relaxed slightly at the facade of forced boredom he saw there... but she couldn't hide the flicker of interest in her eyes, nor the way she instinctively leaned forward slightly, as if ready to leap upon her prey.

Megabyte grinned to himself, realizing that while he may be her slave, he was also a very valuable one, and one that she realized could teach her things she didn't know.

"My liege, if I may demonstrate my own, personal favorite method? It happens to be a very effective beginning move, and ensures the maximum amount of pain while not threatening the life of the subject. If I might...?"

Megabyte felt a leap of excitement as Daemon nodded and stepped back, allowing him access to the tray of torture instruments. However, he didn't bother to pick any of them up, he simply stepped up to Turbo and smiled slowly. Megabyte stared into the wary eyes of the Prime and reached out one massive hand to cover the right hand of the battered sprite. Megabyte said nothing, and he made no movement other then to sieze Turbo's hand inside his own fist.. and squeeze.

Turbo blinked in pain as the bones in his hand were forced together, then bit his lip as Megabyte tightened even more. Clenching his jaw, Turbo closed his eyes and tried to ignore the pain.. but found it impossible, especially when the first finger bone shattered.

Daemon let her eyes close to mere slits as she savored Turbo's scream, and watched as Megabyte paused until the sound had died away to continue shattering every bone in the Guardian's right hand. The entire process took a surprisingly long time - she didn't know it could be stretched out as long as Megabyte managed to.

Daemon smiled widely and studied the way Megabyte took obvious pleasure in performing this method of torture, and as the Prime's screams rose to a crescendo, she was startled when he turned and picked up one of the goblets. Piercing the skin of the sprite's arm at the elbow by using his new claws, he held the cup under Turbo's arm with one hand while grinding what was left of the shattered hand into the wall.

The shrieks of agony were music to her ears as she watched the glowing energy fill up the first glass, then the other. Quickly tying up the wound with a scrap of the Prime's uniform, Megabyte turned to Daemon while the sprite sobbed and writhed in his bonds. Holding out the first shimmering glass of energy to Daemon, Megabyte himself nearly glowed with the satisfaction he felt at being able to practice this particular art again.

Daemon took the goblet carefully and gazed into the shimmering liquid, then smiled at the other virus and raised it to her lips, barely noticing the fading whimpers of pain from Turbo.

A rush of power thrilled along her limbs, swirling around her body, filling her head with the sound of a thousand screams of pain as the first few drops slid down her throat. Daemon smiled and took a longer drink.

Echoes of unbearable pain that slid over every nerve filled her again, and the agony of having a part of oneself destroyed, the despair of knowing that this would never end, the shame felt when the body broke down and vented its pain despite best efforts to prevent it, the hopelessness of knowing that this, of all the tortures he had been subjected to, this one would break him-

Daemon gasped as her eyes flew open and fixed upon Megabyte's face. His own glass was still in his hand, untasted, but his eyes were watching her for her reaction. She reached out one hand and gestured for the second glass, then drained it as well. She let out a long sigh of happiness and smiled at Megabyte, her eyes shining brightly.

"Oh.. do that again..."

Megabyte chuckled and turned back to Turbo, who was watching him with terror in his eyes. It gave the virus a sense of superiority to know that he had managed to instill fear into the one sprite that Daemon had been unable to cow.

Untying the strip of cloth around the cut in the sprite's arm, Megabyte simply pressed Turbo's pulped hand against the wall again, also adding a painful grind to the wrist bones as well. Higher shrieks of pain resulted, and Megabyte refilled the glasses before binding up the cut once more.

Daemon took one of the goblets of energy and walked away from the battered sprite, glancing over her shoulder and gesturing for Megabyte to follow her. Megabyte dared not taste his drink before Daemon did - he knew the rules, and besides.. it was only common courtesy to allow a lady the first taste.

Following Daemon through the huge double doors and down the hallway, Megabyte took the chance to glance around him. The walls were sleek stone and precious wood paneling, signifying the high quality of the quarters they were passing. The two viruses stepped into an elevator, and stepped out a moment later into a large, richly decorated office gleaming with Daemon's colors. She waved him to the seat across from her as she stepped behind the desk and sat, taking a small sip from her glass.

"So.. what shall I do with you, now that I have you, hmmm?"

Megabyte regarded his mistress through eyes slitted with caution. He had to convince her to keep him, or all was lost..

------------

Daemon regarded her prize over the rim of her glass, making note once more of the powerful body Megabyte wore, as well as his tremendous strength of will. She would need to test his loyalty, as well as give him a chance to find out what his new body could do. He'd be of no use to her whatsoever if he was a total klutz. A pretty face would be good only for show, and she demanded that all of her subjects pay their way.

Of course, with such a face, she could use him in her throne room, beside her seat to instill fear into the more thick-headed petitioners... Or perhaps even just have him open the door and escort people in to see her. That should intimidate even the most fearless... unless they were **very** stupid.

But first... she needed to test his physical strength. So perhaps.. the junk yard. One of the heavy duty movers had broken down, and to keep her scrap recovery on schedule, she needed that metal moved today. And besides.. it would be a test to see if he thought moving scrap metal beneath his dignity. If he failed in this first test of loyalty, then he would die, simple as that.

------------

Megabyte clutched his glass carefully, waiting for Daemon to say something, anything, anything at all other then to continue staring into her drink the way she was. The slow smile that was creeping across her face was oddly frightening as well, and Megabyte grew more and more tense, waiting for her to do _something_.

When she finally did move, he nearly dropped his glass, but managed to cover it up quite nicely by lowering it as if he had just been interrupted while about to take a sip.

Daemon tapped a few commands into the console in front of her, then sat back and sipped from her glass as she waited the results of her work. She smiled as the console presented a small data pad, and slid it across the desk towards Megabyte.

"Take this.. it will explain everything you'll need to know. I'm going to give you a rather important job for your first day, so make sure you don't screw it up. Directions to your workplace are in the pad." The smile she gave him ran a chill down his spine, and reinforced his initial decision to do his best.

Megabyte picked up the pad, but before he could look at it, Daemon leaned back and raised her glass in a toast.

"To -total- Net domination, and my continued rule over the Guardians... and to a new member of my army, may you live to rise in the ranks." Daemon smiled nastily with the last words, and tilted her head back, draining her glass. Megabyte nodded and let the contents of his glass slide down his throat, enjoying the screaming of the Prime Guardian's pain running through his body.

She waved a hand in dismissal and Megabyte stood, bowing his head in respect for a heartbeat before turning swiftly on his heel and stalking out of the room. Daemon watched the doors slide shut after him and let a slow smile spread across her face. Anyone walking by the office might have heard the laugh that filled her office and spilled out into the corridor... that is, if anyone had gotten past all of Daemon's protections and traps.

Daemon giggled as she watched Megabyte pause on one of her security monitors as he checked the data pad she had given him. She covered her mouth in an effort to stem the giggles at the surprise and fury when he discovered that his final destination was a junk yard. She did -so- hate it when she giggled.. she sounded like a little girl.. but the look on his face was priceless!

But that fury was good to see. It meant he wasn't spineless after all... and she could find a number of good uses for him. Daemon continued to watch Megabyte until he left the range of her security screens, an odd half-smile on her face.

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TBC?

So, there it is - now it's up to the readers to decide: do I continue this or not? Is there anyone out there who wants me to continue this? Is there anyone even reading this? O.o


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